The Artist and the Real World

What would it be like to wake up every day and do the exact job you want to do?

Not just the job you want to do, but the one you feel you were meant to do.

Some have that luxury, but most don’t. We try to find solace in having a job we don’t hate or one that puts a roof over our head and covers our bills, debt, and entertainment.

And it’s good to have that. You should be thankful to have positive work opportunities because there’s so many people who don’t even have that.

But it’s not enough.

I’ve read studies and surveys that all say what millennials want most is a job that means something to them. One that gives them true, unique purpose.

You may be thankful for your current job. You may care about the people you work with. You may even have a genuine goal of doing what’s best for the clients you serve. But that speaks to your attitude, not your calling.

It comes from the mind, not the heart or soul.

There’s something missing. That energy that only passion can bring. And passion can’t be faked or forced.

There lies the problem.

For those who consider themselves artists, creatives, and dreamers, there’s no set path for us. Our desires and callings don’t fit neatly into the American workplace. There’s possibility, but zero guarantee. If you’re a reasonably smart person, and you go to a college or a trade school for a specific program for the sake of attaining a specific job, and you work hard at that, chances are, you’re going to graduate and get the job you want.

It won’t be easy, but it’s doable. Even if you’re trying to be something like a doctor. If you’re smart, you work hard, and you follow the steps, you’ll probably make it.

I’m not trying to say becoming a doctor is simple. It’s a ton of work and commitment. But the path is there. You just need to follow through.

By comparison, you take an incredibly skilled musician who wants to play music for a living. They could practice and go to school and be trained, and there is still zero guarantee they’ll ever make a living doing that.

And it gets more complicated.

Even if you find a job that makes use of those talents you’ve worked so hard to develop, it may only be a shadow of that original dream.

Going back to the musician, they could find work playing in a bar band or giving lessons or even traveling with a professional gig. But playing music isn’t the same as making music.

The same goes for any other craft or art.

Without trying to sound sensational or pretentious here, most of corporate America does not want your artistic ambitions. Just the base skills that they can exploit for their own ends.

They want photographers to take unimaginative pictures of things so they can “look cool” or sell more stuff.

They want designers to copy what everyone else is doing or follow their own terrible branding ideas rather than let the designer create.

They want writers to make cohesive sentences out of the jumbled words floating around their heads.

They want to mine your gifts to supply their needs. You end up becoming a tool for creation rather than the creator you were meant to be.

But you can’t let this stop you.

If it sounds unfair, it’s because it is. That’s kind of how life goes.

Everyone has their burdens to bear. For those who are trying to make something that’s their own, whether it’s music or art or a book or even a business, it’s knowing that you might not ever make it.

And then continuing to try anyway.

You might have to work a “real job” to pay for your bills. You may have to get a second job to cover debts and expenses for your craft. Or you can quit your jobs, sell your stuff, and focus on that pure, raw, unfiltered dream.

Let go of whatever is unnecessary. Sacrifice social outings. Stay up late. Get up early. Cut hobbies. Turn off your phone. Isolate yourself from the distractions around you.

Just don’t let go of that thing you love. That thing that moves and flows through you as if it were in your blood.

Protect it.

Don’t let it be cheapened for the sake of commercial gain. It is the most important thing you have. It’s why you’re here on this earth.

And it will be there until you do something with it or you die.

Why not save yourself the pain, and just do something with it?

I can’t promise you’ll succeed. Doing this might not ever bring you money or fame. But it will bring joy. True fulfillment that can only come from the Creator that made your soul in His very hands. Who brought it to life with His own breath so that you, in turn, could create.